One thought from the crow’s nest

Today morning I saw a crow build a nest. It picked up little twigs and wires, thin metal rods and bits of paper. The crow took the twig in its mouth, moved to its center, weighed it and if satisfied, it flew away with it. If not satisfied, it threw it away and never picked up the same twig again. This is a scene that many have already watched and been bewitched. I have seen this happen many times but today I found myself thinking a little differently.

The crow doesn’t have much of brain to speak about; it hasn’t studied engineering or undergone training to build a nest. Man has a big brain, we claim to be the most advanced thinking species in this world; yet we need to study engineering or receive training to construct a basic house or even a miniature crow’s nest.

The crow flew away from its parents after it got its wings and lives an independent life. Good or bad, it decides its own life. Its parents don’t come behind it whatever happens. I was wondering what would happen if a girl went out of home after a certain age. Relations would vie with Marlon Brando and Meryl Streep for the Oscars. All filmy dialogues would be spoken. The prodigal dialogue of the patriarch of sorts, thespian Sivaji Ganesan “Kili ku rekkai rekkai molachuduthu! Aatha vittu parandhu poiduthu!” and some dramatic acting would do rounds. Well, they don’t have an answer to the question “Rekkai parakarthuku dhaane irukku?” or for the adage “Ships will be safe in the harbor but that’s not what they are built for.” Keta adhiga prasangi, kekalai naa nalla pullai. Strange are the ways of TamBhrams!! Humans, especially TamBhrams take emotions to unnecessary levels unlike other species who do it when and where required.

All species mate with the partner of choice. What freedom! In humans, especially among Indians, everybody except the person involved gets to decide this! Ya, it is true! You have to live with only the person who your parents, elders and extended clan choose for you. Even a distant elder relative will have some say while the person who actually gets married doesn’t have any freedom of choice! If a person marries the person of his/ her choice against others’ wishes, he/ she becomes outcast and his/ her family loses honour. This is allegedly civilization!!

All species purportedly lower than humans have basic instincts of survival. There is no reported case of any animal or bird dying during a natural calamity. They leave the place before disaster strikes. Humans have big brains but not the ability to foresee something as important as this!

Most species have the capacity to adjust and upgrade. Man alone finds it difficult. The crow used to build its nest with twigs when it gets twigs, it builds nests with wires when it gets them, metal when it gets them, it sleeps on trees if gets nothing. For man, this is an unthinkable option.

When God made man, he just didn’t upgrade, he went in for an overhaul. Instead of giving the instinct, the freedom, the desire and the skill, God gave man something called a brain. Now this brain could do all these things – it could feel, emote, adapt, think, it could acquire and remember skill. The defect was that it could get influenced and one could use it better than the other. Worse, groups of them could think together. One could even argue that when man evolved from apes, the brain grew out of proportion or much more than man could handle. Either way, the conclusion is the same. Man is a mistake.

I know that I can’t do anything about this now or I doubt in the future. But this will surely change the way I interact with my children. For now all I did was thank the crow for picking up much of the miscellany from the roads of Madras.